The Science Involved

The three participating operators, Adventure Tours Australia, Connections Safaris and Wayoutback Desert Safaris underwent a comprehensive and rigorous Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Life Cycle Assessment (LCA).

The focus of the LCA was the tour experience which included the GHG emissions associated with the preparation of the tours (the preparation phase) including mainly the back office and supply of fuels, the tours themselves (the use phase of the tour) and the clean up after the tour (the end of life phase).

This study is a comprehensive Life Cycle Assessment which is aligned with ISO 14040 requirements and the Greenhouse Friendly guidelines.

Data supplied by the operators was checked by PE International (Australia) to ensure its validity and fit for purpose.

Calculation Procedure

Greenhouse Gas emissions were calculated using the methodology and emissions factors in the Australian Government’s National Greenhouse Accounting workbook 2008.

Collectively, the participating operators emit 4,492 tonnes of Greenhouse Gas emissions per year.

Carbon Credits

To offset the total number of emissions per year for each business, carbon credits have been purchased from LMS Generation Pty Ltd abatement project in the Northern Territory.

The Shoal Bay waste disposal site services the Darwin area providing safe and environmentally friendly disposal of domestic and commercial waste. The mitigation of green house emissions is an important step in ensuring the disposal of Darwin's waste has the lowest possible impact on the environment.

The facility produces electricity from methane gas harvested from waste and is the first of its kind in the Northern Territory.

Built by LMS this plant generates enough electricity to power 1,000 homes, equivalent in green house gas emission savings of approximately 9,000 cars or planting 3,900 trees.

So when you travel with one of our participating operators, you will be contributing to a low carbon economy in Australia’s Northern Territory. And even better - there is NO additional cost to you.

How the Credits are Allocated and Retired

When a customer purchases a tour with any of the three participating operators an amount of carbon credits equal to the emissions per passenger trip will be automatically included as part of the travel booking at NO cost to the customer.

Tourism NT has implemented a reporting system with participating operators to capture details of trips taken by travellers to ensure that carbon emissions are calculated and recorded. At the end of the year the total credits for all travellers with these three operators will be independently verified and the required credits retired accordingly.